Amazing FA-18 Crash photos

[xnamerxx]

Odd piece of random trivia but the American ejection seat is technologically inferior to the russian ejection seat because it lacks an airblast shield which prevents pilots from having their legs broken during higher speed ejections.

[JumpmanYaris]

^It's only if you compare it to the old aircrafts. It can't be said the same from a F-35A F-35B F-35-C or F-22R

[xnamerxx]

I don't believe the F22 seat is any better than the f18 seat, you have to remember the f22 was designed before the fall of the iron curtain with its design dating back to the early 1980's. Doing a quick google search shows what appears to be leg braces on the f35 seat.

Ejection seats aren't really all that high tech as it is since they only really have one main function which is GTFO of the aircraft when required so making them better hasn't been a top priority so more of a design philosophy difference between Russian and American designs which the Russians anticipated supersonic ejections and the American's did not. I guess we figured if your ejecting at that speed the wind blast is likely to kill you so saving the limbs isn't a priority.


Surviving an ejection at 800 mph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=HecyxhXDepU

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by xnamerxx

Odd piece of random trivia but the American ejection seat is technologically inferior to the russian ejection seat because it lacks an airblast shield which prevents pilots from having their legs broken during higher speed ejections.

Where do you get that specific piece of nonsense? In no way are US ejection seats "technologically inferior" to Russian ones because of the lack of an "airblast shield." The ACES II seat--which has been the standard in the A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22, B-1B, and B-2 aircraft and is a zero-zero seat (meaning it can be successfully used at zero altitude and zero airspeed--has never caused damage to pilot's legs from the ejection process. Most times that occurs from a bad landing when the pilot hits the ground.

Most ejection seat injuries involve the neck and back.

So it's not odd trivia, it's fiction.